


Double Black

by TheGreatCatsby



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Oisuga Weekend, bungo stray dogs au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8366239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatCatsby/pseuds/TheGreatCatsby
Summary: Sugawara is steady, a rock of support keeping Oikawa grounded. It's ironic, Oikawa thinks, given his Ability.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Bungo Stray Dogs is pain and this is inspired by the new season. But also by Dazai and Chuuya's partnership. I like the idea of Oikawa and Sugawara being partners that depend on each other.

“He can’t stop himself.” 

The first time they cross paths Sugawara is pretty much a child at fifteen. Oikawa is also a child, but he won't admit it. He’s not like the other children. Boss Washijo says that Oikawa is calculating, methodical, and that he has leadership qualities. He also says that Oikawa’s Ability is the pinnacle of useful, unlike some of the other children that the Mafia has taken in. 

Oikawa’s Ability can make other users cower away from him in fear. Because with the lightest of touches, Oikawa can cancel out any other Ability. 

“Smug idiot,” Iwaizumi Hajime tells him often. Iwaizumi is a year older and Oikawa loves that Iwa-chan’s Ability lets him have fun. Iwaizumi can predict a few seconds into the future when he’s in danger. Danger apparently means Oikawa touching him during sparring matches, so Iwa-chan always manages to dodge. And when he is in good form, he can predict every single one of Oikawa’s attacks. 

It’s annoying, but it’s better than just winning all the time. Plus the taunts get Oikawa fired up, and he secretly makes it a goal to beat Iwa-chan into the ground one day. Not so that he’ll die, but just so he’ll stop being so smug about being the only one to wipe the cocky smile off Oikawa’s face. 

Oikawa hears whispers about another child who is holding back on his Ability. Washijo wants to give the child an ultimatum: use the Ability to his full strength or be thrown back onto the streets. 

What Washijo wants, he gets. That’s when Oikawa is called in. 

The other boy had been taken to practice his Ability against a group of men used to train mafia members in combat. By the time Oikawa arrives in the abandoned warehouse, there are no men. There’s barely a warehouse. The roof is gone, the doors and windows blown out. The ground is stained with puddles of blood. 

In the middle of it all is a boy shorter than Oikawa. 

Oikawa can’t get a good look at him, because there are black balls of energy crashing into the walls, taking out huge chunks. The air feels heavier. A hand pushes into the small of Oikawa’s back. 

“He can’t stop himself.” 

Which means Oikawa has to stop him. 

As he gets closer, the boy doesn’t notice him. His arms are outstretched, directing the black balls into anything that can be torn apart. For a moment, Oikawa believes that he can touch the boy without being noticed. 

He’s wrong. 

The boy turns around and Oikawa stops in his tracks. 

He has pale skin that looks eaten away by the same black particles that make up the things he’s flinging at the walls. His eyes are only pinpricks that seem to look past him. Blood drips from his nose, but his lips are curled into a grin. 

Oikawa recognizes that he has two options: retreat or press forward. Both have an equal chance of getting him killed, but if he tries to approach the boy again after a retreat, it might be too late. So he goes with the next option and darts forward. 

The boy jerks his arm and Oikawa feels something rush past the back of his head. He hopes it isn’t one of those things that have been destroying the warehouse. It’s almost like a game of tag. He stretches out his arm and slaps his hand against the boy’s neck. 

The heaviness in the air disappears and so do those destructive black balls. The inkiness fades away from the boy’s skin. He blinks, and his eyes return to their normal size. Oikawa sees something new on the other boy’s face: awareness. Several emotions run across his features: surprise, confusion, exhaustion. He looks away from Oikawa and around the warehouse. 

“Wh-what?” 

Oikawa sticks out his hand. “I’m Oikawa Tooru. I saved your ass.” 

The boy turns back to him. Then his eyes roll back into his head and he passes out at Oikawa’s feet. 

*

No one likes being left in the dark. Oikawa doesn’t like it more than most. 

But they keep him in the dark for two days while the higher ups try to piece together the Ability that took out a good chunk of their lower-level men and rendered a warehouse to nothing more than a skeleton of a building. 

He can’t pester Washijo with questions, but he can pester Iwa-chan. 

“That sounds like something you made up,” Iwaizumi tells him. “I don’t know any kid who can do that much damage.” 

“He didn’t know either,” Oikawa points out. “Who are the kids you know in the mafia that I don’t know?” 

Iwaizumi gets around more than most of the younger members, since he’s being trained to primarily gain information. He frowns. “Semi, Sugawara, Kageyama-” 

He could probably go on for a while. “What Abilities do they have?” Oikawa interrupts. 

“I don’t know,” Iwaizumi snaps. “They like to keep things a surprise.”

Oikawa sighs. “Iwa-chan, I was depending on you.” 

“Don’t depend on me.” 

“You’re my friend.” 

“Is that what you’re calling it?” 

Oikawa almost feels hurt. “What would you call it?” 

Iwaizumi shrugs, but he won’t meet Oikawa’s eyes. “I dunno. You’re annoying.” 

“Find out for me,” Oikawa says. “Please.” He gives Iwaizumi a look that’s melted the hearts of several adult women and men, although none of them were in the Mafia. 

Iwaizumi turns away. “I’m not finding out crap for you.” 

It turns out, Oikawa doesn’t need Iwaizumi’s information. Washijo sits Oikawa down that night and tells him that he’s going to start training with a new partner. 

“I wanted to work alone,” Oikawa says. He had previously refused to work with another boy named Ushijima. He hopes that Washijo will listen to this reminder. 

“I think you’ll enjoy this,” Washijo says instead. “Sugawara Koushi has the Ability to manipulate the gravity of himself and anything he touches. However, as you saw, the strongest form of his Ability allows him to create black holes--” 

“That’s what those were,” Oikawa murmurs. 

“-which destroy all matter. He cannot control it. Until he learns how, you must be nearby.” 

“So...he can’t use it unless I’m there?” Oikawa asks. 

“He is not strong like you. He can’t control his Ability like you can,” Washijo says, and there’s a hint of anger there. “He needs someone stronger than him to ensure his usefulness. And if you can make him useful, then you will prove yours.” 

A lot of what Washijo says a lot of the time doesn’t make much sense. This time the only thing that registers is the idea that someone needs him. Oikawa Tooru is only fifteen, and someone else needs him. 

The next day he walks into training with his head held high and his confidence at its peak. He walks right up to Sugawara Koushi, who looks a lot more ordinary now that he’s not destroying everything, save for the beauty mark below his eye and the light color of his hair. Oikawa walks up to him, ready to say all sorts of things about how their partnership will work, about how Oikawa will be the best leader. 

Sugawara says, “I don’t need you.” 

It doesn’t even sound mean, so it takes a moment for the words to register. Sugawara has a small, friendly smile on his face. 

The only thing Oikawa manages is, “Wh-what?” 

“Thank you for the other day,” Sugawara says. “But I won’t be using that part of my Ability again.” 

“Why not?” Oikawa demands. 

Sugawara rolls up his sleeves. “We should practice fighting though, right? We’ll have to fight together a lot, right?” 

“I thought you didn’t need me,” Oikawa pouts. 

“I don’t,” Sugawara tells him, still smiling. It’s annoying. “You don’t need me either, but we’re working together, aren’t we?” 

Oikawa can’t really find the fault with that. But nervousness gnaws at him. It’s one of the few feelings that can really get under his skin. He is supposed to help Sugawara use his Ability to its fullest extent. If he doesn’t, the higher ups will be angry. 

He wonders if Sugawara is somehow different from him. He finds himself looking at Sugawara’s exposed skin for signs of bruising and scars, the remnants of punishment for insubordination. He finds them, just like he would find them on his own skin. If Sugawara has been punished just like him, then why doesn’t he listen? 

“You don’t listen either,” Iwaizumi points out later, when Oikawa complains to him. 

“I’m different,” Oikawa says. “I’m charming when I don’t listen. That’s why I don’t get punished as much anymore.” 

“Maybe they have different plans for you,” Iwaizumi says with a shrug. There’s something strapped to the belt of Iwaizumi’s pants today. Oikawa leans in for a close look, reaches out to touch it. Iwaizumi swats his hand away. 

“Is that a gun, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asks. 

“Shooting practice,” Iwaizumi says. He tries not to sound too fussed about it, but he’s proud. 

Oikawa feels a pang of jealousy. He wants to learn how to use a gun. So far, he only knows knives. 

Iwaizumi notices the look Oikawa is giving his newest weapon, but he doesn’t say anything. They both know Oikawa will probably get a gun of his own soon. But Oikawa doesn’t like being behind. 

Even if Iwaizumi is a year older. 

*

“I hate you!” 

It slips out, but Oikawa hardly cares. Sugawara is infuriating. He’s a good fighter. He’s not stronger than Oikawa. In a show of strength, Oikawa is the one who will win. But Sugawara is smart 

It gets on Oikawa’s nerves. He doesn’t like being beaten in front of his elders. He doesn’t like that Sugawara extends a hand to help him up. Oikawa grabs Sugawara’s wrist, pulls him down, and pins him to the ground. 

“That’s what you get for letting your guard down,” he hisses. 

Sugawara’s eyes widen. That is one weakness that Sugawara has: he’s nice. 

Oikawa is genuinely nice to one or two people. He pretends to be nice to everyone else. Real niceness doesn’t get you anywhere in the mafia. Even though they are a group of people working together, they also need to be strong alone. Things are always moving and changing. The weak get killed or left behind. 

So it infuriates Oikawa that Sugawara thinks he can get away with not using his Ability to the fullest. 

The higher-ups have allowed them to keep training together for now, but soon they’ll be expecting results. Results that their team can’t give if Sugawara refuses to do what he needs to do. 

Oikawa stands up. Sugawara follows, rubbing the back of his head. “I should have realized,” he says with a thin smile, “how much you don’t like losing.” 

Oikawa’s hands curl into fists. 

“But you can’t lose against your own partner, right?” Sugawara asks. 

Oikawa narrows his eyes. “A loss is a loss.” 

“I’m your partner,” Sugawara repeats. “We’re not against each other. Maybe we should, I don’t know, get to know each other better.” 

“We do know each other, Sugawara-san” Oikawa says. “I fight you all the time.” 

Sugawara raises an eyebrow. “Call me Suga,” he says. “And that’s not how you get to know someone.” 

Which may be true, but it’s the way Oikawa knows pretty much everyone except Iwa-chan. 

*

It doesn’t seem possible that someone can go two years in the mafia without obeying a direct order, but Sugawara (Suga) manages it. They train together every day, learn knife-fighting and shooting and the art of interrogation. They learn how to play off each other to get information. The training becomes more rounded and more rigorous and they both know what it means: they’re being readied for the field. Soon they will no longer be children in the mafia’s eyes. 

Iwaizumi has already been sent to gather payments and settle debts. He comes back some nights looking smug and others looking bruised. Oikawa trusts that Iwaizumi knows how to take care of himself, but some nights he can’t sleep until Iwaizumi comes back and confirms that he’s safe. 

There’s only one other thing that makes him lose sleep, and that’s worrying about his performance. Or rather, his team’s possible future performance, and how they might fail because of Suga. 

They’ve learned how to fight using their Abilities, of course. Their main strategy is for Suga to get the enemy in such a position that Oikawa can touch them to disable their Ability and then take them out. Suga’s gravity manipulation is useful, and he’s smart about using it, but Oikawa can’t help but think that things would be much easier and safer for them if Suga wiped them out in one go. 

“Is it because it’s bloody?” Oikawa asks one day. “That’s why you won’t use your Ability the way it should be used? Because people bleed when they’re swallowed up by your black holes?”

Suga shoots him a tired look. “No, Oikawa.” 

“You don’t seem afraid of blood otherwise,” Oikawa points out. 

“Because I’m not.” 

Suga shuts down the conversations quickly every time. Oikawa knows that Suga knows he feels resentment about the whole situation, but Suga doesn’t seem to care about that resentment. Or if he does, he ignores it. 

It would be admirable if it weren’t so annoying. 

Oikawa considers taking the matter to Washijo, but he thinks that would be as good as snitching, so he tells Iwaizumi instead. 

Iwaizumi just says, “He’ll use it when it’s necessary. I think the higher-ups know that too.” 

“What makes you think that?” 

“I’ve met him a few times,” Iwaizumi says. “He has...ideals.” 

“Ideals,” Oikawa repeats. 

“He’s not a shithead like you,” Iwaizumi clarifies. 

Oikawa hits him on the arm. “Meanie-chan!” 

Iwaizumi trips Oikawa on the way back into their apartment building and doesn’t help him up. 

In some ways, Iwaizumi is worse than Suga. 

*

They’re given their first mission once they’re both eighteen. Finally adults, finally full-fledged members. The higher-ups send them out of Tokyo and into Sendai to handle a matter with another organization. Apparently, one of their own had been stolen. A guy named Ennoshita Chikara, young like them and an informant with the Ability to know when someone lies. 

The other organization has Ennoshita on the outskirts of the city in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by guards and possibly rigged with explosives. Oikawa has a layout of the mansion memorized and a full battle plan for disabling everyone and getting in and out of the place alive. 

Apparently, that isn’t necessary. 

When they arrive, a group of people stands in a circle around Ennoshita ready to greet them. Oikawa and Suga exchange a look. This screams trap, but they don’t really have any other choice but to complete the mission. Ennoshita can’t die. 

The odds don’t look good. Every single person on the opposing side has a gun. Quite a few of them are pointed at Ennoshita’s head. In the center of it all, on his knees, Ennoshita stares at them with a calm expression, his mouth set in a thin line. He looks so unassuming, forgettable. The perfect kind of person to be an informant. 

The leader of the organization steps forward wearing a cocky grin. “I thought that the Mafia wouldn’t let us get away with taking one of their own,” he says. “Your Ennoshita-kun is quite the resilient man, no matter how many fingers of his we broke. We ran out of time to break much else, though.” 

Suga’s hands clench into fists. 

“I thought we’d have a little fun,” the man says. His golden eyes flash with excitement. “I want to see what Tokyo’s most feared Mafia is made of.” He extends a hand. “My name is Terushima, by the way. And you are?” 

“Done with this conversation,” Oikawa says, and he rushes forward. 

The distraction caused by Oikawa’s movements sends all the attention on him, allowing Suga to dart past the first set of guards. He grabs the person restraining Ennoshita, yanks him onto the ground, and kicks away his gun. 

“Stay there,” he says, and the man does. 

By now, the others have split their attention. Oikawa trusts Suga to do his job--pinning people to the ground by increasing their personal gravity. Oikawa relies on old-fashioned fighting, but the amount of guards protecting Terushima is proving difficult. Terushima just watches him, laughing. 

The fight only lasts for so long. Suga has incapacitated half of the guards, Oikawa the other half, and Terushima stands between them facing Oikawa, still smiling. 

“You can just take your charge and go,” Terushima points out. “Or is it true that you can’t let me get away with taking your own, even if I didn’t manage to get any information?” 

“These men that we killed aren’t important to you,” Oikawa says. “You wouldn’t allow us to wipe out your entire organization so easily.” 

“You’re right,” Terushima says. “And the same goes for me. I’ve let you have your fun, so now I want to have mine.” He snaps his fingers. 

A wind picks up, and Oikawa stares as something other-worldly and glowing emerges behind Terushima. It looks like a cross between a human and a demon, huge with a white face and blank holes for eyes. It wields a sword. 

Oikawa rushes forward and so does the demon. It’s fast enough to meet Oikawa before he covers half the distance, slashing its sword. Oikawa has the presence of mind to stop himself, but the weapon cuts through his clothes and the skin of his chest. 

The demon whirls around and rushes away just as suddenly, heading for Suga. Suga launches himself into the air, away and to the side just before he comes into contact with the demon’s sword. 

Oikawa rushes forward again to meet Terushima, but another ghostly entity grabs him with cold hands, yanking him to the ground. 

His head slams into the dirt. He wraps his hands around the demon’s neck, hoping to make it disappear, but it doesn’t. Of course, because his Ability only works when in contact with the user. He kicks the demon off, draws his gun and shoots three times, each bullet hitting the demon in the chest. It falls back, snarling. 

Oikawa aims the gun at Terushima’s head and fires. 

Yet another demon appears in front of the bullets and makes them drop to the ground. Oikawa’s eyes widen. It’s then that he sees that the area surrounding them is full of these larger-than-life entities and in the middle, Terushima stands, laughing. 

“I can summon vengeful spirits from the other side,” he shouts with glee. “What are you going to do about that?” 

They can’t die, Oikawa realizes. No matter how many he stabs or shoots, and he’s forced to do so as two of them rush at him. He’ll never get close enough to touch Terushima. Suga can’t manipulate their gravity because they aren’t bound to the laws of physics like humans are. 

Ennoshita is lost, somewhere in the midst of the battle. Oikawa hopes that he’s run far away. 

He can feel his muscles burning, his sharp movements becoming sluggish. The demons just keep coming. He shoots two more. Something grabs him from behind while a demon in front rushes at him with a sword. 

Red spatters the ground. He looks down in horror to see a gaping wound in his stomach. Oikawa falls face-first into the grass. 

“Oikawa!” Suga’s voice cracks. Oikawa can only imagine how terrifying a scene this must be for him. First mission and his partner, the only one who can stop their enemy, is bleeding out in the dirt. Oikawa tries to drag himself forward. The pain from the wound makes him scream. 

Someone yanks his hair back, baring his neck. It’s over. His first mission, and he’s going to die. 

Then the thing behind him abruptly lets go. 

Oikawa’s head falls forward, forehead hitting the ground. He forces himself to look up. His vision blurs, and for a moment he thinks that he’s seeing spots. 

Then he realizes that he’s not. There are black holes swallowing up the demons, leaving behind dark spaces. Void. 

Suga moves forward, slowly, eyes locked on Terushima. Any demon that tries to get close to him is swallowed up by the unrelenting power of those black holes. Suga gets closer, and the final demon, the one with the sword that Terushima had first called, rushes forward. 

“No,” Suga says, stretching out his hand. 

A black hole emerges from his fingertips, swallowing the demon and Terushima whole. 

Leaving just Suga and Oikawa. 

Dirt kicks up around Suga’s feet. The earth cracks beneath him with every step. He sends another black hole into the trees at the edge of the mansion’s property, destroying them with a flick of his wrist. 

The mansion itself remains standing, only because Suga hasn’t noticed it. 

Oikawa pushes himself up on shaky arms, ignoring the screaming pain of his stomach. 

“Suga!” 

Suga stops for a moment, then turns towards him, a blank expression on his face. Then he starts forward, a black hole swirling at each of his hands. 

Oikawa thinks he might die. Suga keeps walking towards him, slowly. Oikawa isn’t sure what scares him more, the blood dripping from Suga’s mouth and nose and eyes, or the complete non-recognition he sees in Suga’s face. He doesn’t look human anymore. 

Suga is not quite close enough to touch, but Oikawa doesn’t want to know what will happen when Suga is. He pushes himself along the grass, gritting his teeth, trying not to scream. Suga must not see him as a threat, because he’s unable to do more than crawl. His arms give out and he drops to the ground. Suga’s feet appear at his head. Something wet lands on his hair. Probably Suga’s blood. 

Oikawa reaches out and grabs Suga’s ankle. 

The wind caused by Suga’s Ability dies down. The debris around him drops to the ground. Oikawa hears a horribly rattled intake of breath and with a thud, Suga falls to his knees behind him, coughing and gagging. Oikawa turns onto his side just in time to see Suga bring up bile and blood into the grass. 

Suga has one hand buried in his shirt above his heart. He gasps, eyes wide, and starts shaking. Oikawa wants to do something, but his entire body feels heavy. He’s so tired. 

“I don’t know who’s gonna get us back to the hotel, Suga-chan,” he croaks as his eyes slip shut. 

The last thing he sees before passing out is Suga’s body hitting the ground. 

*

“You’re an idiot.” 

That’s a new voice. Oikawa hurts. His entire body hurts. His middle feels like it’s on fire. He opens his eyes to see the blurry shape of a head above him and has to blink a few times before it resolves into an ordinary looking man. 

Ennoshita. He’s alive. 

“What happened?” Oikawa gasps. 

“Some Ability stuff that I couldn’t hope to compete with while both my hands were broken,” Ennoshita says, and he raises his arms to show his wrapped fingers. “Besides, I had no weapons on me. I was going to call for backup but then...your partner did something and I thought you’d win. So I got you to the hotel instead and called in a doctor that we know.” 

“Th-thanks,” Oikawa manages. He’s stunned. He’d thought Ennoshita had run away, but now he wonders why he would think that. Ordinary as Ennoshita is, he’s still a member of the Mafia. That kind of loyalty goes a long way. “How’s Suga?” 

Ennoshita frowns. “I don’t know what happened, but he’s been unconscious. I mean, you have too. For over twenty-four hours. You’re both idiots.” 

“We rescued you!” Oikawa cries. He tries to sit up but the pain has him on his back. “Ahh!” 

“Don’t tell me they sent you without intelligence on Terushima’s Ability and proper backup,” Ennoshita says. 

“They did do that, though,” Oikawa says. 

Ennoshita scoffs. “Then they’re the idiots. Or maybe they were trying to have you prove yourselves. I hear that for combat class members, those tests can be quite tough.” 

“Tough,” Oikawa repeats, as though they didn’t almost die. 

“Still, that’s pretty unfair,” Ennoshita says. 

Unfair. Oikawa chokes on a laugh. It’s an understatement. If he weren’t so tired he’d be furious. He knows he’s going to have a long rant at Iwaizumi about this later. 

“Your partner isn’t awake,” Ennoshita says, “but the doctor says he should be soon. The internal damage is healing.” 

“Internal...damage,” Oikawa repeats. 

“That’s an interesting Ability he has,” Ennoshita continues. “Did you know about it?” 

“Y-yeah,” Oikawa says. What he doesn’t know is why Suga hadn’t used it until now. He’d been so insistent on defying the higher-ups, and yet he’d destroyed the leader of another organization with his Ability. He’d been resisting using it for years. 

“Oikawa-san?” Ennoshita prompts. 

“Tell me when he wakes up,” Oikawa says. “We need to work on the mission report or the Boss won’t be happy.” 

*

Suga wakes up the next day. Oikawa is feeling miles better (the pain medication helps), and in his kindness gives Suga a full forty-five minutes to get his wits about him before barging into his room. 

Oikawa isn’t rude enough to comment on how Suga looks like shit, but it does worry him a bit. Suga is too pale, the bruises under his eyes too dark. His eyes are a little glassy when he looks at Oikawa, who plops into the chair next to the bed and smiles at him. 

“Rise and shine!” 

“Shut up.” 

Oikawa grins wider. “That’s not very nice, Suga-chan. Mind explaining what happened?” 

“You were there,” Suga says. “You know exactly what happened.” His voice is hoarse. It makes Oikawa’s chest feel uncomfortably tight. 

“Yes, I know what happened,” Oikawa says, “but I don’t know what you were thinking. You swore up and down that you weren’t going to use that part of your Ability and then you activated it anyway, without telling me. What if I’d been unconscious?” 

“You weren’t.” There’s a tightness to Suga’s voice that Oikawa doesn’t like. 

“What if I was? You know, we’re supposed to plan these sort of things.” 

“I’m sorry,” Suga says, “if I didn’t want to stop to have a long-winded conversation with you about our next move in the middle of a fight.” 

“What about before the fight?” 

“Huh?” 

“You never told me why you didn’t want to use your Ability that way,” Oikawa says. “You never told me why you need me to deactivate it. You’ve never let me know how it feels so I can understand, as your partner. You won’t answer my question when I ask what made you change your mind.”

Suga’s fists are clenched in his blanket. After a moment he murmurs, “I forget.” 

“What?” 

Suga grits his teeth and hisses out a breath. Then he continues, “I forget everything. I’m not me, when I’m in that state. I forget who I am and what I’m doing and I just want to eliminate everything that seems threatening. Which is...everything.” 

“Okay,” Oikawa says. “That...makes sense.” 

“I don’t like losing control like that,” Suga says. “I want to be me during the fights. I don’t want to wake up and see that I’ve killed a dozen people without remembering it.” 

Like he had the first time. 

“I could tell you,” Oikawa suggests.

“It’s not the same.” Suga won’t look at him. Suga has been staring at the blanket this entire time. It gets under Oikawa’s skin. 

How many times have they touched outside of sparring or Oikawa disabling Suga’s Ability? 

Oikawa can’t think of any times, but his mind is fuzzy from the pain meds. Still, his hands itch to reach out and touch Suga. He’s never casually touched him, not like he does with Iwaizumi. But Iwaizumi isn’t his partner. 

He reaches out and grabs Suga by the chin, gently, but with enough force to turn Suga’s head. “Look at me,” he says, hoping not to meet resistance. 

Suga meets Oikawa’s gaze, his expression blank. 

That won’t do. 

“Did you trust me?” Oikawa asks. 

Suga’s eyes widen just a fraction. He opens his mouth, but Oikawa interrupts. 

“No lies.” 

“No,” Suga says. 

Oikawa tries not to flinch. He’d figured as much. Why should Suga, when Oikawa hadn’t really trusted him, either? 

“Do you trust me?” he asks. 

Suga’s expression changes. It’s tiny. Nothing moves, but his eyes are different. Oikawa can see emotion there. Emotion that he can’t read, but it’s better than nothing. He can figure it out later. 

“I do,” Suga says.

“Good.” Oikawa removes his hand. “We’re partners. We need to trust each other. I need to know more about you.” 

“And you?” Suga asks. “I don’t know anything about you.” 

“Right,” Oikawa smiles. “I don’t like needing other people and I’m really pissed off that we were lied to. As the leader of this team-” 

“Leader?!” 

“-I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” 

Suga stares at him for a moment and then nods. “Thank you.” 

“Anything for my partner.” He adds, because Suga did just save his life, “Just so you know, I trust you.” 

Suga nods again. 

“Why did you do it, Suga?” Oikawa asks. 

“Oikawa.” Suga swallows. “I...don’t know.” 

It’s a lie, but Oikawa doesn’t press him. 

*

The meeting with Washijo doesn’t go well. It’s also not a complete disaster. 

Suga submits the mission report and Oikawa makes a personal visit to follow-up. Washijo isn’t what anyone would call calm, but he’s annoyingly passive as Oikawa demands to know what happened. 

“You left out information on Terushima’s Ability, even though I’m sure you could have gotten it easily,” Oikawa says. “You let us walk in there unprepared. They seemed to know we were coming.” 

“Yet you handled it,” Washijo says. “These things will happen. I need to know that you can deal with them.” 

“You set us up,” Oikawa says, voice rising. “You forced Sugawara into a position where he would need to use his Ability in a way he didn’t want to use it and-” 

“Quiet!” Washijo shouts. Oikawa is stunned into silence. “Without that part of his Ability, Sugawara is as good as useless. Gravity Manipulation is clever but ultimately weak. You two were set to be partners in order to make use of the strength of that Ability, and to not do so would be a waste. Be thankful that he did what he needed to do. This is not about your partner’s feelings. It’s about what he can bring to the organization. Or have you forgotten what is important, Oikawa-kun?”

Through gritted teeth Oikawa responds, “I haven’t.” 

“I had thought of promoting you to an executive position,” Washijo says, “but if you can’t cast aside emotions for the sake of your job-” 

“I can,” Oikawa snaps. It takes all of his willpower to not shift or twitch and give himself away. 

“I see.” Washijo sighs. “What do you feel towards Sugawara?” 

He doesn’t know. He just knows that when he saw Suga fall to the ground that night, he was scared. That a huge part of him doesn’t want Suga to use his Ability like that anymore. He knows they will have to. He knows that if Washijo knows any of this, they’ll both be punished in some way. 

“Nothing,” he says. “He’s just my partner.” 

Washijo eyes him for a second before nodding. “Good.” 

*

“You get yourself in a lot of shit, you know that?” 

Oikawa grimaces as whiskey slides down his throat. He’s only (slightly) resentful that Iwaizumi can handle it without so much as twitching. 

It doesn’t matter that they’re underage. The bar staff know who they are and know that refusing them would be deadly. Not that either one is really the sort of person to threaten anyone over a refused drink. 

“Executive,” Oikawa moans. “He said executive.” 

“Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, Shittykawa?” Iwaizumi asks. 

“Yeah, but he’s gonna make me prove myself.” Oikawa stares into his drink. “That’s never good. Shouldn’t he just, I don’t know, count all my years of loyalty and good work as the proof?” 

“How do you know he won’t do that?” Iwaizumi asks. 

Oikawa’s expression twists with distaste. “It’s the way he talked about Suga-” 

“Suga?” 

“-and how I handled things. I think he knows.” 

“Knows what?” 

Oikawa grips his glass a little tighter. Knows what? Knows something that Oikawa hasn’t quite figured out yet. Maybe he knows about Iwaizumi, too. They’re not supposed to have personal attachments. That’s a weakness. But Iwaizumi isn’t at a high enough level to be constantly watched, and Oikawa is. So is Sugawara, by virtue of his Ability. 

Oikawa wishes there was a way to make it so that Suga wouldn’t ever have to use that part of his Ability again. But if he doesn’t, he’ll be seen as useless and will be cut off. The Mafia doesn’t like dead weight. Any other assets that Suga has aren’t strong enough to justify his continued presence. At least, not to Washijo. Oikawa thinks that he’s wrong, but Oikawa isn’t the one leading this organization. 

They’re bound by so many rules and politics that it makes Oikawa’s head spin. 

It bothers Oikawa that Suga used his Ability to save him. If Oikawa hadn’t been injured, Suga would have more time to be defiant. But now that the higher-ups know he can and will use his Ability, he’ll have to more often. 

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi prompts, nudging him with his elbow. “Do you really want this?” 

“Of course I do,” Oikawa scoffs, downing the rest of his drink. “What else is there for me to want?” 

*

The missions become more frequent, and so does Suga’s use of the ultimate form of his Ability. Oikawa hates it. He hates every time he has to pick his way through a path of destruction just to brush his fingers against Suga’s neck, or his wrist. He hates it when Suga falls boneless against him. 

It’s easier when Suga passes out right away. At least Oikawa can think that there’s some break from the pain. It’s harder when Suga takes his time, his body wracked with coughs, when he hacks up blood onto the ground and shakes so hard that Oikawa thinks he might fall apart. 

But it always finishes the job. Always. 

Oikawa hates how withdrawn Suga gets after each mission. He’s never been sure how to handle it, but Iwaizumi hits the nail on the head when Oikawa asks. “Why don’t you just talk to him like a normal human being?” 

So simple and yet, Iwaizumi isn’t wrong. 

“I want a break,” Oikawa says one day while he’s in Suga’s room, watching him recover yet again. “Don’t you want a break?” 

“I’m the one doing all the hard work,” Suga points out. There’s more color in his cheeks today. He always seems to bounce back. Oikawa doesn’t ask if there are lingering effects. He doesn’t want to know. 

“Hey, I work pretty hard riling everyone up.” 

“That you do.” 

Oikawa sits on the edge of Suga’s bed and nudges him. “Move over.” 

Suga does, eyebrows raised. “What’s this?” 

“What’s what?” Oikawa smiles, leaning back into the pillows. “Can’t partners hang out together?” 

“Aren’t you busy?” Suga asks. 

Busy dealing with the higher-ups, busy dealing with mission reports, busy dealing with his future. Busy, busy, busy. Today, he’s tired. 

He yawns to prove it. 

Suga stares at him. “You know, I can write the report this time if-” 

“No need, Suga-chan,” Oikawa chirps. “It’s sent and sealed. Think of this as team bonding time.” 

“You sound like a businessman!” Suga laughs. 

“I am a businessman!” Oikawa grins. He leans into the pillows, taking in the warmth and softness. He allows himself to relax. Suga had just woken up that morning. 

His phone rings. 

“A busy businessman,” Suga murmurs. 

 

“Not yet.” Oikawa lets it ring. He turns on his side to face Suga. “I want to talk to you. I feel like we don’t do that.” 

“We do,” Suga says. “You talk to me about your Iwa-chan, you talk to me about how shitty our accommodations are, how much you hate driving, how much you hate the coat our Boss gave you, should I go on?” 

“I meant a deep conversation, Suga-chan,” Oikawa says. 

“I thought that was as deep as you got,” Suga says. 

Oikawa places a hand over his heart. “How mean! I can’t believe this! My own partner calling me shallow!” He throws his head back. 

Suga nudges him this time with his elbow. “Don’t be so dramatic!” 

“Then I’ll be serious.” Oikawa raises his head and fixes Suga with an intense stare. “Why did you use your Ability during our first mission?” 

Suga practically jumps out of his skin. “Y-you can’t just transition like that!” 

“You said to be serious, so that’s what I’m doing,” Oikawa says, half joking. “I really want to know and you said you didn’t know, but,” he leans forward and Suga can’t lean back without falling off the bed, “we both know that was a lie.” 

“It wasn’t,” Suga says. “I just wasn’t telling you the truth.” 

“You told me that you didn’t know,” Oikawa says. “That was a lie. You did know.” 

“We both would have died,” Suga says after a moment. He doesn’t look away, but his eyes burn. “I wanted to protect my partner the best I could, and I couldn’t do that without using my full strength. It’s the least I can do.” 

“But it hurts you every time,” Oikawa points out. 

“I know. But I think it’s worth it.” Suga’s lips twitch. “Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much when I saw you go down. I didn’t want you to die there.” 

“Didn’t want me to…” Oikawa can’t find the words. He doesn’t know what he wants to say, but he knows that his heart is beating a little too hard. Suga didn’t think. Suga is always thinking but he didn’t think when Oikawa fell. 

“I,” Suga says, his expression turning determined, “won’t let that happen again.” 

Oikawa can’t breathe for a moment. Suga’s eyes cut into him and he almost panics. It feels like this goes beyond the call of duty. Beyond just watching Oikawa’s back. He doesn’t know how to respond. 

Then the phone rings. 

It snaps Oikawa out of his thoughts. 

“Oh, Suga-chan!” He places his hand over his heart and smiles wide. “I’m honored you care so much!” 

“Oikawa-” 

Oikawa leaps off the bed and rummages in his jacket for his phone, not bothering to look back. “I’ll be back, Suga-chan,” he sing-songs as he leaves the room. 

It’s Iwaizumi, of all people, drunk dialing him. The conversation is nonsense but it’s a relief. The look on Suga’s face had been too much, so he entertains himself with Iwa-chan’s drunk ranting for a while. 

But it remains in the back of his head. I won’t let that happen again. Like people don’t die every day in this line of work. It’s a fact of life, but Suga doesn’t want to let it happen to him. 

*

“I want you to go by yourself.” 

It’s not an insult. It’s an honor. But Oikawa feels like he’s just swallowed sand. 

“You want me to do an extraction without my partner?” 

Washijo nods. “You’re more than capable of handling things by yourself. Your partner is still recovering. Do I have to waste additional manpower?” 

“No,” Oikawa says. “I’ll do it.” 

He walks out of the office with a briefing file, his legs heavy. 

The feeling gets worse when Oikawa opens the file. 

One, Washijo had failed to mention that Iwaizumi was the person he would be extracting. Two, that the people he’s fighting are Nohebi, one of the strongest groups in the city. They rely on information to manipulate people into doing what they want. Iwaizumi’s capture makes sense. 

Washijo’s withholding of information doesn’t. 

Oikawa doesn’t want to fight Nohebi alone. They’re ridiculously strong with Ability users specializing in illusions and tricks. They’re hard to pin down. Any other hostage, and Oikawa might have fought harder for his right to take backup or refuse the mission. But it’s Iwaizumi. 

Nohebi’s base is by the water, in a bunch of abandoned former factories and cargo warehouses. He finds the building where they’re holding Iwaizumi, the skeleton of a factory still filled with heavy equipment. That should be fun. 

He checks his phone after he checks his guns and knives. There’s a message from Suga asking about the mission. 

Without thinking, Oikawa tells Suga that he’s going to extract Iwaizumi from Nohebi. Suga deserves to know what his partner is doing. In the back of his head, he feels a bit guilty and apprehensive about the whole thing. He knows Suga must want to help. But he’ll get the job done. It’s Iwaizumi on the other side, tied up and bruised and bleeding. Oikawa can see the puddle of blood beneath him on the floor. 

So he puts aside his fears and pulls up the confidence that has gotten him this far. He pockets his phone and steps inside. 

*

They would have been past the point of gunfire now, if the leader of Nohebi didn’t have the Ability to move things without touching them. 

Several guns float in the air, along with factory machinery turned to projectiles. Oikawa has a gunshot wound in his upper left arm. Nohebi’s leader, Daishou, can also deflect bullets. Oikawa can’t get close to him without nearly being turned into mincemeat. And that’s just one person. 

One of Nohebi’s members is a teleporter. Sure, every time he touches Oikawa with his hands he can’t use his power, but that doesn’t stop him getting close enough to use his knives. This is the person Oikawa can thank for the deep stab wound going down to the bone in the meat of his right leg. There’s a woman who seems to be Daishou’s right hand, who can call up illusions to make Oikawa think he’s fighting one person when in reality he’s getting attacked by another. 

This was not a fight to take alone. 

Daishou appears by the doors, and Oikawa launches himself forward. All the guns will stop shooting, the bits of factory equipment will stop trying to take his head off and he’ll be able to win this fight if he can just touch Daishou. 

Just as his fist connects with Daishou’s face, Daishou disappears. An illusion. Oikawa freezes, and behind him he hears laughter. 

“That’s enough,” Daishou says. “This is not worth my time, though I do like the idea of taking out two important Mafia members with one stone.” 

Oikawa turns around just in time to see Daishou put a bullet in Iwaizumi’s chest. 

Iwaizumi falls onto the ground. Oikawa knows that Iwaizumi must have seen the danger ahead of time. But he hadn’t been able to do a thing. 

Oikawa’s hands clench, one holding a gun, the other holding a knife, both useless. Daishou looks back at him, his jaw looking like it might unhinge with how wide he’s smiling.

There’s a bang behind him, and Daishou’s expression falters. 

Oikawa turns. Sugawara stands at the factory entrance, hands balled into fists. The ground beneath his feet cracks as he takes another step forward, taking in the scene. His eyes sweep over Oikawa and rest on Iwaizumi. 

“I see,” he says. 

Several of the guns floating in the air go off. The air feels heavy, and inky black starts to stretch across Suga’s skin. The bullets stop mid air and are crushed into dust. 

“What,” Daishou breathes. 

Oikawa runs out of the way. His feet take him to Iwaizumi. He hears several shouts and gunfire as he falls to his knees, his pants soaking up Iwaizumi’s blood. 

Iwaizumi’s breath rattles in his throat. He stares up at Oikawa with glassy eyes, one hand coming up to clutch at Oikawa’s shirt. 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa breathes. 

“It’s t-too late,” Iwaizumi gasps. 

“Don’t say that,” Oikawa snaps. “I’ll stop the bleeding. We’ll get you help. It’s my fault, so I’ll fix this, I’ll-” 

“Sh-shut up,” Iwaizumi chokes, and Oikawa does. “D-don’t blame yourself. Don’t you d-dare.” 

Oikawa wants to argue, but he doesn’t. His eyes burn as he stares at Iwaizumi’s face. Iwaizumi is losing color with every second. 

“Shittykawa,” he breathes, “Let me g-give you some advice.”

Oikawa swallows. “What?” 

“Leave.” 

Oikawa feels dizzy. Iwaizumi’s grip on his shirt loosens, and then he lets go entirely, his hand falling. Iwaizumi’s head falls back, too, and those rattling breaths stop. 

It isn’t silent. Something horrible is going on in the background. Oikawa can hear screams and crashing and explosions, but he can’t take his eyes away from Iwaizumi’s still body. His chest is covered in blood, and it won’t move. 

Another crash, and the ground underneath Oikawa shakes. He remembers Suga, still recovering, now here using his Ability. 

He’s forced to plant his hands in Iwaizumi’s blood to push himself off the ground. He sways when he puts weight on his throbbing leg. Maybe some of the blood on the floor is his, too. Then he turns around. 

The factory is in ruin. Blood covers the floor. Daishou is probably in pieces and Suga stands in the middle of it all, swaying side-to-side as the debris swirls around him, and he flings black holes into everything within sight. 

Oikawa drags himself forward. Suga notices him and smiles. Blood drips from his mouth, from his nose, from his eyes. He’s slightly hunched over. Oikawa wonders if one of those black holes could swallow him up. Suga’s blood drips to the ground in a steady rhythm. 

They’re close enough to touch. 

Oikawa reaches out and cups Suga’s cheek. He forces Suga to look at him, wants to see the change from a completely destructive force to human. Suga’s eyes widen as he recognizes Oikawa. 

“Sleep,” Oikawa says. 

Suga takes a rattling breath, and falls into Oikawa’s chest. 

*

He doesn’t wake up for four days. 

Oikawa locks himself in Suga’s room, waiting. He refuses to talk to Washijo, or of the other higher ups. He doesn’t want to write the mission report. He doesn’t want to hear what they have to say. 

He had been right. He shouldn’t have gone alone. 

But Suga came for him. Despite still being in recovery, Suga came. Oikawa wonders if he will ever wake up, or if maybe this time he pushed himself too far. It’s admirable and it’s stupid. Suga shouldn’t be pushing himself for the sake of another person. The mission is the only thing that matters. 

In that, Oikawa had failed. Iwaizumi was dead. He wants to blame himself, but Iwaizumi’s words stick in his head. He can’t not hear them. So he transfers his anger to Washijo, who let this happen. To the Mafia, for putting them all in this position. 

Leave. 

He should be thankful. He is thankful. But Suga’s actions leave a bad taste in his mouth. There are no friendships in the Mafia. There are no lovers. Those things are weaknesses, and no weakness is allowed. 

A sharp intake of breath catches Oikawa’s attention. Suga stares at him from the bed. 

“You’re awake!” Oikawa runs his fingers through Suga’s hair, noting how Suga leans into the touch. 

Suga tries to speak, but his voice is gone. Oikawa presses a finger to his lips. 

“No need to say a word,” he murmurs. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

There are questions in Suga’s eyes. Oikawa wants to make sure he doesn’t ask them. He removes his finger, leans over and presses a gentle kiss to Suga’s lips. Suga’s eyes widen. The moment he starts to return the kiss, Oikawa pulls away. 

“Thank you,” he says. “For what you did.” 

Suga tries to sit up, but he winces in pain. His breaths come in short bursts. He grits his teeth and makes a noise of frustration. 

Oikawa straightens up and steps back. The words stick in his throat but he needs to say them anyway: “You shouldn’t have come.” 

Then he turns and walks out the door. 

*

Two weeks and three new career leads after he walks out of the Mafia for good, Oikawa gets a text to his new phone. 

Trust Suga to be so resourceful so quickly. 

He opens the text and freezes. 

“Why didn’t you take me with you?”

It hurts like a knife in the chest, that he honestly can’t bring himself to answer. 

He was scared. He is scared. What happened with Iwaizumi is something he can’t allow to happen to anyone else. 

Never again.


End file.
